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It's been reported this morning that 'token old celebs' have been banned from signing up to the new series.

Instead, producers want to make sure that everyone who takes part actually has a chance of winning the Glitterball.

“It’s not hard to see a pattern," a source said of the show's previous OAP performers , "The thinking is that if there are no weak links in the line-up, it will make it more entertaining.”

According to The Sun, show bosses reckon that signing "old duffers" is pointless.

An insider told the newspaper this morning: “Bosses say signing so-called ‘old duffers’ is a waste of time because they never have a chance of winning. They are never very good."

However, a spokesperson for the BBC said: “We do not comment on speculation.”

Some of the celebs that have been linked to the new series of Strictly this autumn include Match of the Day football pundit Alan Hansen, TV hard man Ross Kemp, TOWIE's Mark Wright, Capital FM's Dave Berry and Blue Peter's Helen Skelton.